[Cooooooperslad]

Anyone know how to battle this? Its awful in my MCS and its one of the only things that lets the car down

[GTT 280]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooooooperslad (original)

Anyone know how to battle this? Its awful in my MCS and its one of the only things that lets the car down

Tyre compound.

Cheers,
K.

[Robboc]

at what sort of speed? surely you will always get understeer from a front whell drive if pushed too hard.

[Shamster]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cooooooperslad (original)

Anyone know how to battle this? Its awful in my MCS and its one of the only things that lets the car down

Yes - drive slower round the roundabout

[Root Ginger]

Tyres as GTT 260 has said are probably the biggest effect on this. Standard runflats are awful for understeer. Get a decent set of regular tyres and you'll see a big improvement to start with then take it from there.

[Root Ginger]

Forgot to mention driving technique as well. Slow in, fast out.

Most people make the mistake of braking too late, carrying too much speed into the bend and ending up understeering and not being able to get the throttle down. Get your speed down earlier and enough not to understeer, cruise through the bend and you'll find you can get on the throttle a lot sooner.

It's smoother and it's quicker.

[MINI-Morgan]

Make the front track wider, dont put down much power in the corner unless you have an LSD and get better tyres. Also worth noting that if you are just fling the car into the corners you will understeer everytime. Its all about weight shift, dab the brakes to move the weight to the front and feed the car into the corner to move the weight slow. The MINI's hold the road really well even stock but they are setup for understeer like most cars to stop the less able just crashing them with oversteer.

[Martin L]

Go into the corner slower
Or at least balance the car correctly. You're probably braking too hard putting all the weight on the front and then turning in, therefore asking too much from the front tyres.
Get the speed right as you approach the roundabout and get the balance of the car between front and rear level.
You'll find the MINI should take roundabout with aplomb

Even RWD cars will understeer if you get the balance wrong.

[ZZTOP]

Pushing the gas while understeering will just cause more understeer. I find with mine, a 2003 MCS with 17" Toyo Proxes 4, its best, while in the bend, to lift off and the tail jumps out to correct the understeer, then you can balance the car by modulating the throttle...

There is a track in SA called Zwartkops with a right hand 90deg bend, taken in second. Virtually every time I can get a four wheel drift or oversteer, similarly with a hairpin bend a few corners later. This is achieved by flicking the car into the bend as the gas is taken off inducing more of an oversteering entry. .....Now if you are oversteering a FWD car the worst thing to do is to back off cause then it will want to oversteer more....not like a RWD... I always drive the track with ASC off...

Sometimes trying too hard will result in understeer (Keeping the gas on while entering the bend). Another point which does not really apply to a round about is what Jackie Stewart told that guy on Top Gear. Dont get back on the throttle untill you can keep it flat until the next bend, makes for much smoother progress and easier tyre wear. If you REALLY want to get rid of the understeer, pull the handbrake up for an intstant.....and when/if you get home, replace your undies immediately...

Be careful and only try these tricks on a track....and remember the Minis brakes are not the best.

[MINI-Morgan]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZZTOP (original)

If you REALLY want to get rid of the understeer, pull the handbrake up for an intstant.....and when/if you get home, replace your undies immediately...

LOL! Love it

[JohnWB]

You will get understeer if you are giving to much throttle. Try going into the roundabout a little faster, then you would not need to give so much throttle. Any corner should not need very much throttle as you should be going round just on the limit of not sliding so you should only need a bit to settle the car, when you are starting to come out of the corner / roundabout, feed in the power smoothly (smoothly is the secret of fast driving) giving it more power as you get more out of the bend

[grantw]

I find the best way to tackle a deserted roundabout is to be fast in, but inducing a little lift off oversteer by quickly letting off the power on turn in, even with standard runflats this helps balance what would be impending understeer.... though be ready for the back end to come into play..

[Ant FR]

Understeer on a cooper S, ok.

i would say like others your technique must be wrong. I have not found a car that has as direct steering as the Cooper S does. I think the handling is more than you could ever need for fast (legal) road driving. track day yeah i could see the need for more,

Heres a cheap solution, hire a golf Mk4 drive that fast for a day and then you'll know about understeer. the mini will seem like a train round corners after that.

[Ant FR]

oh yeah lift off oversteer is scary as feck in a mini as it really snaps back quick, has caught me out twice now. is due to the shortwheels base that snap.

[Japper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

oh yeah lift off oversteer is scary as feck in a mini as it really snaps back quick, has caught me out twice now. is due to the shortwheels base that snap.

Never found that. When you do induce a bit of oversteer it is easily corrected with throttle and a bit of oposite lock......never had a tank slapper.

Maybe i cut my teeth on pug 205gti's and clio 16v's.....now they bit big style

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by Japper (original)

Never found that. When you do induce a bit of oversteer it is easily corrected with throttle and a bit of oposite lock......never had a tank slapper.

Maybe i cut my teeth on pug 205gti's and clio 16v's.....now they bit big style

Yep Pug 205's and Nova SRi's are reknowned for biting boy racers.

[grantw]

of all the cars that I have driven, I find the mini brilliantly balanced, its adjustability is fantastic.. you must be overdriving the car if your having problems with 'scary' oversteer in a mini..

[steven888]

omg...u say (Its awful in my MCS and its one of the only things that lets the car down). MCS is one of the Best Handling cars...and thats what it does the BEST!! If there is a problem with your tires or your driving dont blame the car. Sry for saying this but Minis had and have great handling and should be treated with Respect.

[eggtruck]

I only get understeer in the wet.

[Westy]

Production cars are designed to understeer rather than oversteer when you turn, in for supposed safety reasons, that's just how it is, what else are you expecting to happen once it starts breaking away?

Are you bothered by the fact that it is starting to slide (in which case drive slower) or is it that you want it to break away neutral or into oversteer? - If you want a neutral handling car you are going to have to set it up accordingly.

My Westfield in the avatar is actually a slightly understeering car on an even throttle but has been pushed into oversteer on throttle (in the pic). It would do the same as your Mini, just at higher speeds.